Cutting PCBs

[sta63bmx]

In my experience (and not just with PCBs) the unreinforced cutting wheels are more useless than a tube rectifier in a rocking chair.  They have a nasty habit of breaking if they get the slightest bit misaligned when you're cutting and pow, pieces everywhere.  As previously mentioned, never use a Dremel tool without some eyeprotection.  Even a cheap pair of sunglasses could save you.  But the fiberglass-reinforced cutting wheels are tough and durable and will really zap through just about anything.  I just make a heavy mark on the PCB stock before etching and then use both hands to groove the board, and then I usually just keep moving the dremel over a little bit, cutting down through the board, move it again, etc.  That works pretty well, despite being dusty.  The cuts are never perfect, but they're close enough for rock and roll.

The one use I've found for the weenie cutoff wheels is hacking small parts, like the stop tabs in rotary switches or alignment tabs on pots.  Sometimes a worn, small cutting wheel will give you a little more control and let you get into places you couldn't reach with a big one. 

[Paul Marossy]

When I made a bunch of modules for my Seymour Duncan Convertible, I found that a Dremel Tool with those thin cutting wheels worked out well. I have even cut holes for transformers in an aluminum chassis for a scratchbuilt Matchless Spitfire clone with those thin cutting wheels. I broke a few, but generally, I can use one of those wheels until they are nearly 1/2" around. Anyhow, here's a few picks of one module I made and cut with a Dremel Tool. IIRC, this is the first PCB that I ever made.